Shag Point Nature Reserve
Shag Point Nature Reserve
Shag Point Nature Reserve
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Aussie_2012
Melbourne, Australia962 contributions
Dec 2022
There are few locations where to park but I think the ideal location is the one which is predominantly sign posted. It is only a 2 minute walk down to the viewing areas where you can easily view the sea lions, seals and other wildlife. You are relatively close to all the action and it is quite captivating watching the wildlife do their day to day things. Best part about it is that it is 100% free. Well worth the stop.
Written January 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maree R
Christchurch, New Zealand1,191 contributions
Dec 2021
Stunning spot to with lovely views over the rocks to the sea. Saw plenty of shags in flight and even more seals sunning themselves on the rocks. Well worth the short drive from the main road.
Written December 7, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Toni-Wayne
Christchurch, New Zealand449 contributions
Jan 2021
Well worth a short drive off state highway one to check out the seals. From the car park, it’s a 3 min walk too see them basking in the sun and playing in the sea.
Written January 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PassarinhoAzul
Dunedin, New Zealand1,198 contributions
May 2014 • Friends
If you are driving from Dunedin to Oamaru or vice versa, and it's a nice day, turn off to see Shag Point. Shortly after you've turned off SH1, before continuing onto Shag Point, pull over to look down at the southern end of Katiki Beach to see the Katiki Boulders (most visible at low tide). These are the lesser-known, and far-less visited cousins of the Moeraki Boulders (yet they are no less round and just as old).
Shag Point may not be as scenic as its spectacular coastal neighbors to the south, the Otago Peninsula's Taiaroa Head and the Catlins' Nugget Point, or its northerly neighbor, Katiki Point, but is has lovely coastal views and is historically significant.
Those who've visited Dunedin's excellent Otago Museum might have seen its 7-metre-long plesiosaur fossil. It was excavated near Shag Point and some of the Katiki Boulders contain plesiosaur and mosasaur bone fragments. The plesiosaurs were Late-Cretaceous-period marine reptiles who went extinct along with the dinosaurs after a giant asteroid hit the earth about 66 million years ago.
Shag Point, or Matakaea, was also home to a Maori settlement in about the 12th century. At the mouth of the Shag River, south of Shag Point, excavations have revealed middens full of moa bones and Maori artifacts such as adzes and fish hooks (you can see these in the Otago Museum as well). In the 1800s, whalers arrived at Shag Point. Later, the area was mined for coal.
Today, Shag Point serves as a wildlife sanctuary. In summer juvenile fur seals haul out onto the rocks off Shag Point. Shags can be seen at Shag Point year-round.
There are a few Yellow Eyed Penguins here as well. Please give wildlife lots of space, respect their privacy (because this is their home), and try to not let them see you. The Katiki Point Penguins Trust asks visitors to stay 5 metres (15 feet) away from penguins, to not use camera flashes, and not chase or surround them; these are an endangered protected species.
According to Photovolcanica.com: "Stress may not only cause nest abandonment but also may result in higher energy expenditure (e.g. via an increased heart-rate). Consequently, parental birds may require more energy themselves, thus leaving less food for the chicks." And NZ Birds Online states: "Unregulated and relatively high intensity disturbance by tourists is associated with reduced breeding success and lower chick weights at fledging, which results in lower first year survival and recruitment probabilities."
So if the endangered YEP is to survive, it will need your help.
To read more about Shag Point:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/otago/coastal-otago/shag-point-matakaea/
http://motorcamps.com/content/shag-point
http://nzfrenzysouth.wordpress.com/e10/
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/192697/seaside-community-offers-peace-and-simplicity-life
YEP viewing protocol.
http://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/penguins/value-to-the-environment/viewing-protocol
Shag Point may not be as scenic as its spectacular coastal neighbors to the south, the Otago Peninsula's Taiaroa Head and the Catlins' Nugget Point, or its northerly neighbor, Katiki Point, but is has lovely coastal views and is historically significant.
Those who've visited Dunedin's excellent Otago Museum might have seen its 7-metre-long plesiosaur fossil. It was excavated near Shag Point and some of the Katiki Boulders contain plesiosaur and mosasaur bone fragments. The plesiosaurs were Late-Cretaceous-period marine reptiles who went extinct along with the dinosaurs after a giant asteroid hit the earth about 66 million years ago.
Shag Point, or Matakaea, was also home to a Maori settlement in about the 12th century. At the mouth of the Shag River, south of Shag Point, excavations have revealed middens full of moa bones and Maori artifacts such as adzes and fish hooks (you can see these in the Otago Museum as well). In the 1800s, whalers arrived at Shag Point. Later, the area was mined for coal.
Today, Shag Point serves as a wildlife sanctuary. In summer juvenile fur seals haul out onto the rocks off Shag Point. Shags can be seen at Shag Point year-round.
There are a few Yellow Eyed Penguins here as well. Please give wildlife lots of space, respect their privacy (because this is their home), and try to not let them see you. The Katiki Point Penguins Trust asks visitors to stay 5 metres (15 feet) away from penguins, to not use camera flashes, and not chase or surround them; these are an endangered protected species.
According to Photovolcanica.com: "Stress may not only cause nest abandonment but also may result in higher energy expenditure (e.g. via an increased heart-rate). Consequently, parental birds may require more energy themselves, thus leaving less food for the chicks." And NZ Birds Online states: "Unregulated and relatively high intensity disturbance by tourists is associated with reduced breeding success and lower chick weights at fledging, which results in lower first year survival and recruitment probabilities."
So if the endangered YEP is to survive, it will need your help.
To read more about Shag Point:
http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-visit/otago/coastal-otago/shag-point-matakaea/
http://motorcamps.com/content/shag-point
http://nzfrenzysouth.wordpress.com/e10/
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/192697/seaside-community-offers-peace-and-simplicity-life
YEP viewing protocol.
http://www.yellow-eyedpenguin.org.nz/penguins/value-to-the-environment/viewing-protocol
Written August 19, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sdg_77
Leamington Spa, UK51 contributions
Nov 2013 • Couples
Another place we found from the New Zealand Frenzy guide book, and a great place for a short stop. We saw seals and enjoyed the fine coastal views but there's not much else to see, perhaps that is the attraction?
Written August 29, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roman W
Zürich112 contributions
Mar 2020
Take a long lens and if you are lucky wih the weather, you will definitely get some perfect Pictures of furred seals. Depending on the Season, you will see the Young ones playing arround while the older ones just sleep..easy to Access by car and just some meeters avay from the car park.
Written March 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stacey L
Canberra, Australia189 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Rugged coastline with a few viewing points to watch seals do their thing. The car park is close by and the point is easy to find.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lesley
54 contributions
Nov 2019
We stopped at Shag Point on our way north from Dunedin. We only noticed the sign as we were looking for it, easily missed. A little dirve up a lane past some houses takes you to the car park. Then a short flat walk to the viewing area. Signs ask you not to cross the fences but people were still doing so, obviously not thinking about frightening the seals which had pups, or their own safety. There were plenty of seals to see, could have stayed for hours.
Written December 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian C
Beerwah, Australia76 contributions
Sep 2019
This place is a short drive off the main road from Palmerston, and is well signed. A must stop for the wildlife enthusiasts and it is free. Just be careful on the narrow road as you near the park entrance. There is housing on the seaward side of the road. There was no-one present when we arrived, as the weather was very cold, light rain and windy. We ventured from the carpark along the short narrow path to the viewing area. We were not disappointed by the number of seals present. Some sleeping, some swimming and others keeping a lookout on the rocks. Plenty of photo opportunities. Well worth the visit.
Written October 7, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hester J
Billings, MT41 contributions
Jan 2019 • Couples
A great place to quietly watch Fur Seals, We had a quiet lunch at a picnic table. There are also portable potties.
Written January 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wenroll
Singapore, Singapore
Hi!
I would like to find out when is the best time to see seals at the shag point in december?
Thank you!
Written November 20, 2017
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